Spontaneous pneumomediastinum: an algorithm for diagnosis and management
Open Access
- 24 November 2009
- journal article
- review article
- Published by SAGE Publications in Therapeutic Advances in Respiratory Disease
- Vol. 3 (6), 301-307
- https://doi.org/10.1177/1753465809350888
Abstract
Spontaneous pneumomediastinum (SPM) is a rare disorder most often affecting young males which is generally self-limiting. Despite the benign prognosis with few complications and little morbidity, it frequently confuses clinicians in primary settings, who may have difficulty differentiating SPM from other serious organ ruptures, especially oesophageal rupture (the so-called Boerhaave syndrome), which may lead to mediastinitis and may be fatal, even with appropriate interventions. An overview of adult SPM is provided, reviewing 17 studies (414 patients), including our clinical experience, and finally an algorithm for diagnosis and management of SPM is proposed, based on the characteristics of SPM.Keywords
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